Hi all. I did sign up here a few years ago. But I then got away from hunting when my bud past away. However I'm getting the itch again and I am a serious interested person In this art!
I used to have a wheel bow but I grew to not like it got spot/stalking. I have missed a few deer cuz I had the wrong pin on them
One day I tried out a grizzly bow. And I really liked it. I had to give it back to my Friend. But I could care less about a compound. I did read the great article on this site for new people. And I have shot a few bows here and there. But not a lot of resources in my area.
Question I have is , I'm probably going to grab a samick 30# or so then up the Limbs when I feel I'm ready to hunt in a year or two.
However i am so intrigued by some of the older bows I see on fleabay. Pearson ,redwing York . Bear. They all look really nice. Would love I get a 30 pounder or so to learn on.
Just wondering which of those brands or models I should stay away from? The lower pound ones are in a price range I would t mind taking a chance on .
Thanks and I hope to meet some new friends here!
Tom
Hi! Welcome, you came to the right place!
Truth is. All of those companies are good. However with vintage products like those you have to know what to look for in terms of wear and tear. Is the bow in good condition, has it been stored properly? Are the limbs twisted? Splintered? Did someone drill holes in it? Bottom line is. It helps to be educated and know what you are looking at or for in a used bow of a certain age...good luck on your journey!
Welcome.
Welcome!
Welcome and enjoy
Welcome and ENJOY!
Welcome. You will find all the info you will need here. Probably too much. Good luck!
:wavey: :archer:
Welcome. I agree with Matty about the used bows.
If it were me, in your position I would see if there is anyone in your area who shoots longbows or recurves (you can search here on Trad Gang). Meet with them and pick their brain. If you wanted to pick up a cheaper older recurve off the big auction site do it. If its a lemon, you will learn from it. Trust me, you will buy more.....probably lots more....
Mostly with those old bows, you are looking to avoid cracks and places where laminations are separating (especially in the fade outs (where the riser narrows into the limbs)).
When you get a used bow, check for limb twist and get a new string for it no matter how good the old one looks. Limb twist can be easily fixed unless super severe in which case it takes more effort.
Good luck, ask questions and have fun.
Welcome to the site. I am sure you will enjoy the ride.
Thanks guys for the welcomes and the advice
Welcome from Kentucky!
Welcome! Good info above. I think how an old bow has been stored is probably one of the biggest factors. If it has been in an attic for 20 plus years, it is very likely to have problems.
get a 40-45 lb
A few months ago I was in the position of making a similar decision and my anal, OCD personality did hours and hours of research, asked a zillion questions here and other archery forums, read old posts, etc. I've shot bows for 40 years, the last 35 with a compound.
I soon realized like you that I would probably need either two separate bows, a lighter poundage one for practice and a heavier poundage one for hunting, or one bow with extra limbs.
My final decision was to buy a light ILF bow for practice, fun, and form building while I decided on the hunting bow since I truly did not plan to hunt this season. I shoot that bow almost daily and could not be happier with the choice.
Then, as my skill level was improving I wanted to move ahead with a hunting bow. Again, this involved hours of research and study.
I came across a custom bowyer, Mike Mecredy, Maddog Archery who had excellent reviews, his bows online looked great, and in fact he is a sponsor here. After a short discussion with Mike, I had him build one of his Prairie Predator longbows for me.
I've only had the Prairie Predator now for a couple of weeks but so far it is excellent!
For me, the two-bow option just fit better than one bow with two sets of limbs and this may be a direction for you to consider.
Whatever you choose, GLGS!
Welcome, you came to the right place. :campfire:
Denny
Tom, welcome back.
There have been some significant advances in limb design and materials in recent years but the basic principles haven't changed and you can get a great vintage recurve or longbow for 10% of a new state-of-the-art custom, and the performance difference would be hard for most folks to notice. That being said, there are big differences from model to model, year to year and even individual bows of the same model. There is no unanimity of opinion because every archer has an opinion of what grip feels right, what length shoots best, which is quietest, which is fastest, which is the best value, etc.
I've bought, sold, traded or gave away over 20 used bows in the last year alone, not because I'm a collector, wealthy or finicky, but because I love vintage bows and like to see how different models shoot, for me, and I shoot every one of them on a regular basis until I decide to send it on to a new home. I've not regretted a single purchase and I really like it when somebody who got a bow from me sends me photos of their tight groups in the target or their hunting successes. Boys with toys!
I have shot recurves since the mid-60's and I've learned a lot about bows, but I know practically nothing about the history and details of particular brands and/or models compared to some of the folks on here and other trad boards, and the learning is almost as much fun as the shooting. But I have learned a lot about how to shop for and evaluate used bows offered for sale, and if you PM or email me about a particular bow or in general, I'll try to give you an informative reply.
I own a few old bows, and have owned hundreds over the last 20 years or so. My preference is the Samick (Journey for my draw), for two reasons.
#1, It comes with a warranty.
#2, It's made to accept high performance string materials. It's not about a few fps, but rather for the much improved stability, consistency, durability, and decreased shock.
The string that comes with a Sage or Journey is pretty much junk, but other than that it's a good bow--for the money, a great bow.
The only reason I bought mine was to test a then-new string material. I didn't want the bow to be a factor, so I bought the cheapest one I could find that would handle my draw length and the material I was testing. Now I shoot it because I like it. It's obviously not a $1,000+ custom, but for someone just getting started you won't be able to tell the difference from a shooting perspective.
Wow some great advice and responses folks. Thanks a lot.
Well as an update , I ended up with a Martin jaguar. Yes not very traditional but I got it for two reasons, it was a real real good price. It was on sale first then I had a Xmas coupon code Then I had a Cabelas gift card that was collecting dust. And free shipping lol so at the end it was around 65 bucks brand new.
I have read mixed reviews on the older limbs but this is a newer one unless it's been in a Chinese warehouse for ten years. But heck for that price I'll give it a go.
The other reason is its a 50 pounder not a good Learning bow but I can use it for hunting and I can put a biscuit on Tj shelf for hunting. I know when I had a wheel bow that biscuit came in real handy for buck fever lol.
So now I'm really excited to find a nice early 25-30 pound older bow to learn on And shoot off the shelf. So I'll see what happends when the Martin comes in and I I keep it or send it back
Welcome to the Gang!
Bisch
Tom where in Mass you from? my buddy owns a trad archery shop in Whitman where there's a bunch of stuff you can try just to get a feel for the different types of trad bows. and they do have a bunch of low poundage bows.
anything you find that's fun to shoot is the good one right now as long as the limbs are straight and there's no damage,, just match a set of arrows which is very important and off you go.
I'm in Plymouth and belong to Hanson R&G club where I practice a lot roving and stump shooting and they have a hay bale walk thru course and I hunt Zone 11 and RI if you need help with anything LMK..
Do some reading about reflexed and deflexed risers...I had a Martin Lynx recurve that was built on a Lynx compound riser but in those days the compound bow risers were still mostly deflex...the Jaguar is, I would guess, built on a Jaguar compound bow reflexed riser...you may shoot it just fine or you may find it is tricky to shoot without torquing...and btw you could do a lot worse than a Lynx recurve...they were made in both a 62 inch and maybe a 66 inch length...the longer the better for someone wanting to establish solid form...I sold mine to a newbie because I knew he would find it easy to shoot
DDave
QuoteOriginally posted by Tajue17:
Tom where in Mass you from? my buddy owns a trad archery shop in Whitman where there's a bunch of stuff you can try just to get a feel for the different types of trad bows. and they do have a bunch of low poundage bows.
anything you find that's fun to shoot is the good one right now as long as the limbs are straight and there's no damage,, just match a set of arrows which is very important and off you go.
I'm in Plymouth and belong to Hanson R&G club where I practice a lot roving and stump shooting and they have a hay bale walk thru course and I hunt Zone 11 and RI if you need help with anything LMK..
I'm in Seekonk which is on the RI line. I actually hunt in RI because the season is much longer and I can hunt Sunday's. Not sure where your buddies shop is. Would love to check it out though
flier I PM'd you, and noticed you haven't opened it yet... go to the top of this page and look for my profile and look in there for your messages.
Yup just did Thanks, didnt notice sry.
If you're talking about a Whisker Biscuit you may want to re-think that.
How come?
Welcome from the Mississippi Delta
James
welcome, sir.
set a spell and absorb as much wisdom as you can, then you'll be making a much more educated guess at how to gear up and what gear makes the most sense specifically just for .... you.
this may help ya as well ...
http://tradgang.com/docs/trad.html
Thank you Mr. DiStefano
QuoteOriginally posted by flier:
Thank you Mr. DiStefano
well yer most welcome, mr. flier sir! :D
best regards,
rob.
Depends on local laws my state only requires 30lbs for deer. I am a bear guy. I swear by them. The older bears are easy to find usually able to be found in great condition for a steal. Most people I think are able to start at 40lbs no problem. Find out what the minimum hunting weight is and if it is low get that. I have a grizzly and I would recommend to anyone. Get a new string from a sponsor of the site I use Allen and that is all a bear needs a good string. Welcome to the gang. :campfire:
Welcome from Komifornia. Lots of good advise and people here. If your young and healthy get a 40 lb .
welcome
welcome to the great world of trad hunting
Thanks Guys, Ok update,
I ended up with a 40# Grizzly, brand new. Great price! Lovely bow,
Also, Dahyer I will grab an additional string from a sponsor like you recommended.
So the Jaguar is up on ****! lol
excellent choice!
Allen from ten rings made my string and its a super shooter. There is a reason the grizzly has been in continuous production for over 65 years. Only thing about the grizzly is it cannot use fast flight string. But modern strings built with b 55 are awesome and cheaper so you have nothing to worry about. you need a 54 inch string by the way. Great choice.
Same with me coming back 5 years ago after starting in 1962 after purchasing new rosewood Bear bows. I went back to that same time period and bought a few Bear bows, Kodiaks and Kodiak Specials. Three of the five have stress lines in the limbs but so do I, and the lines have not affected them so far. Think I just wanted to go back to what I liked such as we sometimes do with the old 1950's V-8 cars we used to drive to school. My bows shoot well enough for me and I hope to to shoot these bows for the next 15-20 years (until my mid 80's or early 90's).
My thought on bows is like dogs. You want one you can sit on the porch with and not be embarrassed. My five 1959 to 1962 Brazillian rosewood Bear bows match these expectations very well.